"I thought Obamacare was supposed to be free"...

Good luck with that!



Not one: Michelle Fields of PJTV cannot find one student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., who has signed up for Obamacare. These are the people Obama is relying on to carry the whole program.

Uh, oh...


(h/t: PJTV/Next Generation)

Radio time: All Obamacare...all the time (10/2913)

Two Obamacare-related shows today...

Up first, the Dave Congalton Show (KVEC 920 AM) at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. I'll join Dave to discuss the ups-and-downs of the Affordable Care Act (aka: Obamacare) -- from the botched Healthcare.gov roll-out, to the pain that millions of policyholders are feeling as their plans are canceled...despite the president's explicit promise: "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan."

Dave's show is interactive, so feel free to call in with questions or comments at (800) 549-KVEC or (805) 543-8830.

You can hear the show online here.

Dave Congalton.

Then, at 8 p.m. Pacific Time, I'll be on The John Batchelor Show to discuss the latest Obamacare developments today in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. John and I will be joined by our colleague, Francis Rose (host of In Depth with Francis Rose, weekdays from 3-7 p.m. Eastern Time, on Federal News Radio 1500 AM in Washington, D.C.).

John Batchelor.

Check local and satellite radio listings for details, or you can listen online here.

See you on the radio!

Radio tonight: Federal government shutdown edition

I'll be on the John Batchelor Show tonight (9 p.m. Pacific) to discuss the looming federal government shutdown.

Check local or satellite listings for details...or listen online here.

In The Name of ... Democracy

Last week, on a rooftop in New York City, U2 recorded an acoustic performance of  'Sunday Bloody Sunday' - and dedicated it to democracy in Iran.

Meanwhile (today), in the totalitarian state that is Iran, voters minded orders calls to cast ballots in that country's presidential election. While there is little doubt that hardliners will hold on to power, the campaign leading up to the vote showcased the divide that has the strongmen trying to retain their authority, while reformers hoped against hope and backed a single candidate on the Left.

Today's voting began with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei taking a swipe at American concerns regarding the election's integrity, telling Washington "the hell with you" after casting his ballot in a the already decided/rigged vote.

Well, at least we can rest comfortably knowing that U2 & Co. "rocked the vote."

Late add bonus: "With over 121% of precincts reporting, Iran is still a brutal theocracy."
-- Sohrab Ahmari 

Portraits in Crassness

When is a revelation not really a revelation?

When it's about the lack of class that was the hallmark of the late-U.S. Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D-Mass.) and his trusty sidekick, Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Their boorishness was the stuff of legends.

Kennedy and Dodd, who gained a bit of notoriety for their infamous "Waitress Sandwich" (aka: alleged sexual assault), have a new story being told about their sex prowls. This time, it comes from actress/author Carrie Fisher.

In today's edition of The Hill, piece notes Fisher's claims that Kennedy asked her some pretty frank questions while dining out with the star and Dodd:

According to published excerpts from Fisher’s new book, “Shockaholic,” the entertainer, best known for her role as Princess Leia, was fresh out of her first stint in rehab and on a date with a then single Dodd back in 1985. Kennedy joined the pair at dinner in D.C..

Fisher writes, “Suddenly, Senator Kennedy, seated directly across from me, looked at me with his alert, aristocratic eyes and asked me a most surprising question. 'So,' he said, clearly amused, 'do you think you’ll be having sex with Chris at the end of your date?’”

The celeb adds, “Chris Dodd looked at me with an unusual grin hanging on his very flushed face.”

While Fisher writes that she calmly quipped to Kennedy, “Funnily enough, I won’t be having sex with Chris tonight…No that probably won’t happen…Thanks for asking, though,” the author claims that the rather candid line of questioning didn’t end there.

Fisher continues in her latest tome: “’Would you have sex with Chris in a hot tub?' Senator Kennedy asked me, perhaps as a way to say good night?”

“’I'm no good in water,’ I told him.”

I guess we shouldn't be surprised when pigs act like pigs...

Carrie Fisher and...Ted Kennedy?

Spenditol: the answer to all our problems!

“Spenditol is Washington’s answer to all the painful problems Americans face. How to borrow $800 Billion for a Stimulus that didn’t create jobs or fix the Economy? Spenditol!”

How the other half - the elites - really live...

The president toasts some pretty special people...

Dear Readers:

Below is a breathtaking piece that ran on Monday, March 21, in The Oregonian. It was presented by staffer Steve Duin, who was provided with a letter Oregon's "first lady," Cylvia Hayes, wrote about her adventures in Washington, D.C. I'm also reprinting it - without permission, given that he didn't write Ms. Hayes' letter - in its entirety.

Keep in mind these are the people we elect to represent and serve us (and who bring their significant others along for the ride and document it for us). Ms. Hayes' "journal" gives us a rare glimpse into the world we cannot hope to understand...only pay for.

With that, I give you The Oregonian's, "Behind the scenes with John Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes at the White House."

By Steve Duin, The Oregonian

Over the weekend, Cylvia Hayes -- Oregon's "first lady" -- sent out an e-mail to a large number of friends and associates, detailing her adventures in February at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

It's pretty entertaining. I've edited it, but only briefly, for length:

I have finally made time to write up my experiences in Washington DC and the National Governors Association. The stories are below ...

The first significant event happened at the Airport, before we even left Oregon – I call it “airport whisking”. Once we checked our bags, John and I were escorted by the Dignitary Protection Unit (DPU) guards right around airport security. A TSA man looked at our passports and sent us on our way. No lines, no inspections, no taking off shoes and jackets, no pulling laptops out of their cases. I had already put all of my little gels and lotions into the customary plastic sandwich bag. As we whisked through, I sheepishly tucked them down into my attaché. Rookie mistake. Who knew? (I fear this one thing, this whisking through airports, may spoil me beyond anything else).

The NGA meeting took place mostly at the Marriot [sic] Hotel in downtown DC ... The first session was a plenary with all the Governors seated around a large square table and lots of press ... Dr. Michael Porter of the Harvard School of Business was the keynote. I had heard him before when he spoke to the Oregon Business Summit and declared that the rest of the nation was watching to see if Oregon was going to be able to really make sustainability the big economic opportunity many thought it could be. He had said that if he did so, it would be “epic” for our state and region ...

Just as the Q&A session started a fire alarm went off. Unbelievably, we were all told to evacuate the building. John and I got as far as the top of the escalator before the announcement was made that everything was fine and we could return. Now to get the full gist of this you have to picture all the elected officials and staff and hundreds of security guards. Each Governor has their DPU detail (some bring as many as ten!). On top of this there is a DC detail contingent and the hotel security. I believe there are several times more guards than dignitaries at this event. Later that day, one of our two DPU guys admitted they couldn’t find us when we came out during the fire alarm. John quipped, “Don’t worry about it -- our biggest danger was getting trampled by the hordes of security guys in dark suits.” Our DPU man grinned and I laughed out loud.

The first event of the Spouses Program was a bus trip to the Walter Reid Medical Center. We were all hustled onto a big, plush touring bus and then a motorcade led us away from the hotel. This was my very first motorcade and, as it turned out, was not quite what I expected. Shortly after we took off, the bus developed some sort of transmission problem and slowed to a lurching crawl. There we were, in all the puff of importance and urgency, with traffic lights being shut down and cars forced to stop to let us pass, in a vehicle that I literally could have outrun on foot! Certainly took the sense of self-importance down a peg – or two.

That afternoon, back at the hotel, we had our first actual spouses session. I had realized the night before that my name had not been listed in the Spouses Program packet and in the First Ladies and Assistants contact information directory, Oregon and New York had been listed as NA (No-Applicable) since we were unmarried partners or the governors of those two states. I had hoped Sarah Lee of New York would be there so that we could compare notes, but Governor Coumo did not attend. I had no idea how the First Ladies (and two First Gentlemen) would react to me.

As an ice-breaker they asked a “veteran” First Spouse to interview a newbie and vice versa and then introduce one another. Carla Markell, from Delaware, was seated beside me and she and I had already connected a bit during the Walter Reid event so we interviewed one another. She told me that her first instinct following her husband’s election was to get a job far and stay away from it all. But over the first few months she realized she could do a lot of good work in her role as First Lady, especially since it is an unpaid, volunteer position. When she interviewed me, among many other things, I told her about the NGA contact materials and that I considered NA to stand for “Nuptually Agnostic”. She laughed and made a note.

When she started to introduce me she said, “This is Cylvia Hayes, from Oregon, the uh, First … uh, Governor’s uh … Significant …uh, partner…” I jumped in and said, “I’m complicated and my title is evolving.” Everybody laughed. I realized at that moment that was probably the first unmarried partner ever to attend an NGA event in the First Lady role. She went on to mention my professional background and political involvement and then she whispered to me, “Can I tell them about the NA thing?” I said, “oh sure, why not?” (To myself I was thinking, “Uh oh. Some of these very prim and proper wives may not like this very much.”). She pointed to the First Spouses contact directory and announced that I interpreted NA to mean “Nuptually Agnostic”. The room roared in laughter. From that point forward nearly everyone was warm and welcoming to me.The entire spouses program was interesting and valuable. We learned about several of the initiatives veteran First Ladies (and Gentlemen) were working on. We met with foundations eager to fund projects that First Spouses were driving. (I am already in the pipeline working to get some of that money into Oregon).

Our visit to the State Department was terrific both for the program and the surrounds ... Marcee Craighall, the Director of Rooms of Diplomacy, told us of the endless protocol details that go into hosting foreign dignitaries. Careful attention is given to the colors the President, First Lady and staff wear, seating arrangements, dietary considerations, how to bring something from the visitors home nation into the gathering, and on and on. When she started talking about how we could use many of those same strategies when planning events at our Governors’ residences I had a moment of mild panic. I thought, “Good Lord, who has time for all of that? Do these other women do that? For Pete’s sake this part alone could be a full time job!” Then I calmed down and realized I didn’t have to go overboard but by incorporating a few of these techniques, I could make events at Mahonia Hall more effective and pleasant. I was further relieved to learn that the White House protocol team is available to help us with these issues ...

Of course, along with the tours, educational sessions, and motorcade escapades, there was the black-tie dinner at the White House. As you know from my previous post, I had hyped myself up pretty high for this event. I am delighted to report that it exceeded even those high expectations. I felt like a true fashionista in the long, silky gown. John was very handsome in his tuxedo (that’s right, no jeans for this affair J). He treated me like a princess and made sure that the entire evening was all about my experience. Very sweet.

We entered the White House East Wing, greeted by marines in formal dress uniforms. The Governors and First Ladies and Gentlemen mingled and sipped excellent champagne. We soaked up the beautiful artwork and furnishings in the elegant parlor rooms. Then we were moved into a receiving line to meet the President and First Lady. I had already met President Obama a couple of times so I was most interested in meeting Michelle. John and I were escorted in. The President smiled and took my hand in his hands and said “Very nice to see you again.” (how cool is that?). And then there was Michelle. That night she had her heels on and she was a good two inches taller than Barack. I mean she is of impressive stature. And even with all of that, she was just as warm and approachable as her husband. She took my hand and said, “You look so beautiful.” I said, “Thank you! I just want to say that you are doing yourself, and our nation, proud.” (That was probably a cheeky thing to say but giving her a high five and telling her to keep kicking butt seemed out of the question).

To my delight the Obamas have changed the rules and Governors and spouses now get to sit next to one another during dinner. I was intrigued that Governor Jindal was seated immediately to my right. I told him about my work in clean energy and my mission to the Gulf Coast to bear witness to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To my surprise, he was genuinely interested in my work, and even appreciative of my interest in the Gulf Coast. We had a great conversation all through dinner about the spill, his frustrations with BP, the need to move beyond fossil fuel, and the difficulty of those issues in a place like Louisiana, where the economy is so dependent on oil extraction. To John’s left was Gene Sperling, economic advisor to the President. We had an interesting conversation about clean energy, climate change, health care costs and the growing crisis of Medicare and Medicaid entitlements. I had a great time – interesting conversation and a phenomenal meal comprised of many tasty small courses paired with lovely wines.

At that point, the evening had already been everything I’d hoped it would be and I had no idea there was more to come. The President stood and asked us all to move out of the dining room and toward the other end of the reception area. We were ushered into a lovely, intimate theater. Several musicians came in and started playing some jazzy, bluesy rock beats. Then, once we were all seated, the President stood and asked us to welcome Gladys Knight! She entered through the back of the room, walked right beside John’s chair, and joined the Pips on-stage. (I hadn’t even known they were the Pips). She put on an amazing performance. Several times I just looked around at the whole scene and said to myself, “Is this really my life? Really? Incredible.”

When we arrived back at the Marriot, it was late and I was bundled up in my black wool coat. But at the door, I told John I had to exercise the gown. He understood immediately and removed my coat and held out his arm. As we strolled through the lobby in tux and designer gown, shamelessly turning heads, knowing we had just dined with the President and First Lady, I reminded myself of Julia Roberts in the Pretty Woman hotel lobby scene (minus the part about being a prostitute of course J). A truly amazing, special evening.

Even now writing about these events, I find myself smiling and feeling very blessed. Thanks for being interested in these stories. We still haven’t received our photos from the White House or State Department but I have attached a couple of photos of the gown and the tuxedo-wearing Governor.

The guv and his lady...

Barack and Joe say goodbye to 2010...

The year that was - in song, dance and more. Enjoy...

Yesterday's rally was supposed to...?

(pick one or more)

Encourage punctuality...?

"Huffington Post founderArianna Huffington provided free buses from New York to Washington, D.C. for Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity. Unfortunately, most of them showed up late. Not really a great way to restore sanity, in the end." (h/t: Gawker)

In the buses defense, they did get there...

Cultivate "civility"...?

"The last resort of small minds..."

Promote "whiteness"...?

Not a really diverse crowd, was it?

Restore smugness...?

Highlight bias...?

Well, that depends where you get them from...

Keep the dream alive...?

Eventually, the guy who keeps talking about pulling the car out of the ditch needs to admit he's been driving it for almost two years and paying for gas with someone else's credit card...

So what did the rally accomplish? It was supposed to encourage discourse and call for the return of a better-informed electorate. Did it? Some say no, but even many skeptics enjoyed some of the music and comedy bits.

Bonus: Sanity is overrated..."'Thousands gathered in Washington, D.C., on Saturday for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity, featuring a novel blend of politics and entertainment. "What exactly was this?" Stewart asked near the end of the show. "This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith. Or people of activism or to look down our noses at the heartland...we can have animus and not be enemies.' Tunku Varadarajan says he hope it'll be consolation when they're trounced on Tuesday." (h/t: The Daily Beast).

Rally time!

(Note: the big crowd is from the 8/28 rally, not this weekend's. Photo via Directorblue)

This weekend saw thousands of self-described Marxists, progressives, Democrats, socialists and other left-leaners descend on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for a counter-rally: the One Nation rally.

What were they rallying against? Well, Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally, for one (as well as Tea Partiers, Republicans and other folks across the aisle). Beck held a rally in the same space last month that drew several hundred thousand people. In the photo comparisons above, you can clearly see that the One Nation even barely registers in comparison.

In addition, no one was paid to attend the "Restoring Honor" event. The "One Nation" rally, however, had its attendance numbers boosted by various unions and special interest groups who paid for members to participate and bussed in thousands of people. In some cases, kids were given class credit to attend. (h/t: Gateway Pundit)

Bonus: The folks over at Big Journalism have a nice post-event piece: "More Trash at One Sparsely Attended Left Wing Rally Than at All the Tea Parties Around the Country in a Year and a Half." The photo below is one of several they've posted.

Bonus-bonus: Most left-leaning protests I've covered usually include groups dedicated to socialism/Marxism. It's something the mainstream media usually avoids reporting on (like the crazy relative up in the attic?). The groups were out in full-force on Saturday.

Late add: Souvenirs from the One Nation rally. A sampling of "items"/trash left behind...(h/t: Daily Caller)

Free speech for me...

but not for thee...

Not everyone signed-on with Glenn Beck's big rally in Washington, D.C., this past weekend but few expressed their opposition quite like Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (who happens to be an elected official sworn to protect the federal and state constitutions...which happen to include freedom of speech, worship, assembly, association, etc., as key pillars).

The big rally...

A tip o' the hat to the highly esteemed HotAir blog for posting this:

And you thought that a libtalker declaring a public space too sacred for God would be the dumbest quote from the Left on the Restoring Honor rally hosted by Glenn Beck. Michael Graham from Boston’s WTKK posts a clip of Governor Deval Patrick responding to a question about the rally by noting first that it’s a free country — and then that he’s not terribly happy about that, either:

So much for those pesky rights, eh?

Desperately seeking...

...an editor (or someone who actually knows the news)...

(via Inside Cable News)

The times...

...they are a changin'...

Here's an overhead photo of the Tea Party/"8/28" rally in Washington, D.C., today. Original guess-timates were that the event would only draw about 100,000 to the National Mall. The latest word from the U.S. Park Service is that more than 300,000 are participating. Other sources have the figure pegged at more than 500,000.

If I was an incumbent - of either party - I would look at this and worry. Come November, these folks' Hope® will likely become Change™...

Today's Top 10 List: States with the Highest Income Taxes

From NYC Educator

The always reliable and informative Tax Prof Blog posts the following list of states that take the most from their citizens. There are no surprises:

The Top 10 Highest State Income Taxes: All Obama Blue States

Forbes, States (And Bill Gates Sr.) Look to Soak the Rich, by Ashlea Ebeling:

Hawaii: 11% (income over $400,000 (couple), $200,000 (single)

Oregon: 11% (income over $500,000 (couple), $250,000 (single)

California: 10.55% (income over $1 million)

Rhode Island: 9.9% (income over $373,650)

Iowa: 8.98% (income over $64,261)

New Jersey 8.97% (income over $500,000)

New York: 8.97% (income over $500,000)

Vermont: 8.95% (income over $373,650)

Maine: 8.5% (income over $39,549 (couple), $19,749 (single)

Washington, D.C.: 8.5% (income over $40,000)

(Yes, I realize the taxes listed above are state and President Barack Obama is a federal official, but the clip was too good to pass up...)

If at first you don't suceed...

...try something else.

Hey, GOP. Remember how profligate spending helped run the party out of Washington? Remember how Tea Parties usually zero-in on hacks and lying politicians? Then why in the heck are you doing this?

And Justice for all? Forever?


Lady Justice?...

No smart alecky remark here. This is just the Tweet O’ The Week©!

You’re getting warmer: looks like they’re starting to follow the money.

This just in from the icebox formerly known as Washington, D.C.: “UPDATE: The following Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing [has] been postponed due to inclement weather this week: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing entitled, ‘Global Warming Impacts, Including Public Health, in the United States.’”


Congress shut down due to heavy weather. (Thank You, God!)

When it comes to science, when all else fails look at the data. (Which might explain why some of that climate change information is coming into question.)

“Forget all that! If we really want to get to the bottom of this weather stuff, we need more bureaucracy.”


It didn't seem possible, but things actually got chillier in D.C...

Looks like Ol’ Rahm is the one getting the finger this time.

From the president’s mouth to tourists’ ears (Sen. Reid – please explain to the 350 or so employees that will no longer have a job how that Hope & Change is working for them.)

Demonize any place long enough and you're bound to bring some sort of Change...

I wasn’t impressed by Sarah Palin cribbing reminders on the palm of her hand (for an interview), but if you’re going to go after her at least don’t immolate yourself in the process.

Add Palin: I guess White House spokeshole Robert Gibbs wasn’t listening to his boss’ chat with the press before he took the stage.

"What does the writing on my hand say? Quit acting like a jackass..."

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Despite a record-setting winter storm hitting large portions of the nation, leaving urban and rural areas snowbound, and essentially closing Washington, D.C., our fellow citizens - and enemies - keep making news...

How my fellow San Francisco Bay Area folks are going the extra mile for the people of Haiti.

Iran is “da bomb”…well, almost.

Meanwhile, the mullahs are promising to punch us. No, really...that's what their big-wigs are saying.


If it weren't so terrifying, it would be a bad Woody Allen movie...

This is what happens when your PR office is buried under snow.


That's a lot of global warming piling up there...

Did you know that with the new 2010 budget, a whopping “42 cents out of every dollar the federal government spends will have to be borrowed?” The Chinese do – and that worries them. At least they're investing, right?

The White House on official photos it has in its Flickr photo pool: “Nope – not yours.” (If only there was a former law school lecturer hanging around there who could set the administration straight on the basics.


"I'm tired of all these photos..."

John Murtha (D-Pork) died today at the age of 77. Let it be said he never met an earmark he didn’t like.

Looks like Republicans aren’t the only ones who think Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s trial should be held somewhere besides the same town at 9-11’s Ground Zero. (It’s about time…)

And finally…remember kids – it’s never OK to waterboard suspected terrorists…but it is OK to blow them the #$@%! up.


It's more expensive than "enhanced interrogations," but the results are also more definitive...